ADHD learning strategies at home

ADHD and home learning

As the parent or carer of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you’ll know it can affect things such as focus and concentration, executive functioning skills, hyperactivity and emotional regulation. Home education with ADHD lets you tailor learning to your child’s needs, creating an environment and strategies that work for them.

If you’re not sure where to begin, follow these ADHD study tips for home education.

Tailor the physical aspect of learning at home to how your child absorbs information. Dr Naomi Fisher, a clinical psychologist and author of A Different Way to Learn, says: “Many children learn best when bouncing, hanging upside down off the sofa or rolling themselves up in a sheet. Get rid of the idea they need to be sitting still in order to learn. This isn’t true for lots of children.”

If sitting down and reading is hard for your child, Dr Fisher says instead you could put spellings around the house on [sticky] notes and get your child “to run from spelling to spelling, or sing their times tables together”. Experiment with how your child focuses, whether it’s walking round the room, sitting with a whiteboard, exploring the woods at forest school, or learning in museums, clubs and other home education settings.

Walking through the park as they recall The Battle of Bannockburn, putting a tally chart on the wall to count planes passing overhead or using pasta for counting in maths could all form part of creative ADHD routines in home education. Embrace the concept of child-led learning and, depending on their age and ability, talk to your child about what ADHD learning strategies work best for them. Chris Benson is a neurodiversity and education specialist, former headteacher and Education Lead for ADHD UK. He says: “Children with a genuine say in their own learning are more motivated, more persistent and better at regulating themselves.”

Lesley, whose 17-year-old daughter Hannah has ADHD and is a youth ambassador for ADHD UK, has found active learning (when a child is fully engaged in their learning) with “lots of flashcards, quizzes, diagrams, etc” is good for them. She’s noticed her daughter also works best “in a calm, quiet space with no distractions”. Lesley says her biggest takeaway is “not to force homework/learning if your child isn't in the right frame of mind”.

Your child’s individual learning barriers may be different for different topics. Dr Fisher suggests if, for example, reading is a struggle, try audio books in the car or on the bus “so they can access the stories without reading being the barrier”. If your child needs to fiddle with something at the same time “they can doodle or play or bounce while they listen”. Try other hacks, such as letting them read the lyrics on a streaming app whilst they listen to their favourite song, or asking AI to create a story for them that they’ll be interested in reading.

Set up your learning space in ways that support your child and any sensory preferences.

Use visual aids and reminders to help with memory and organisation. The NHS suggests writing a to-do list and “putting it somewhere easy to see” and “giving praise when a child or young person does well. Some children need structure. Chris Benson says if that’s your child, introduce it gently with them. Over time, you can teach your child “how to plan, monitor and check their own work”.

For Lesley and Hannah, ‘body doubling’ works well, ie being physically near when your child is doing their work. Chris adds that exercise can improve attention and self-control in ADHD and poor sleep can make both worse, so try and encourage movement, good sleep hygiene and a healthy diet where you can.

Your child’s executive functioning skills, such as the ability to plan and manage tasks, can be impacted by their ADHD. Chris Benson says a long learning session can flood their working memory, ie “the mental workspace that holds information while you use it”, whereas “a five-minute burst repeated through the day does not.”

You can try out shorter learning sessions in many different ways, such as your child “saying it, writing it, typing it, answering out of order, teaching it back to you and being quizzed in the car”.

Mum Lesley finds small, focused sessions work better for them too. They use lots of discussion and visual aids, “rather than just reading from a book or computer screen.” They do one task at a time and Lesley says she offers lots of positive encouragement when a task is completed.

Dr Naomi Fisher recommends adding in movement breaks every few minutes if your child does need to pay attention to something for longer: “Put music on to dance, or run around the house.” You may need to build in decompression time after an activity too, such as sitting quietly, stretching or doing something sensory. Chris says: “That’s not lost learning time, it’s what makes the learning possible.”

According to Dr Fisher: “Lots of children with ADHD hear a lot of negativity about themselves. If there are things that bring them alive, help them follow those up and show them you value their interests.” If they’re into video games, use this as an opportunity for connection. “Let them teach you how to play, or let them be the expert while you’re the novice.” You’re helping them to feel competent at the same time as having fun together.

Chris, who has ADHD, agrees it’s important to start with self perception. Try and understand what your child may have already “internalised about themselves”, which may also impact their future successes, before you finalise your home education strategy. Using your child’s interests as a “bridge into everything else” will help them feel confident and in control. He also suggests you design each day "so they experience a visible win today, rather than at the end of a six-week project”.

The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free downloadable resources, advice articles and videos for children aged two-to-five years old, five-to-11 years old and 11-to-16+ years old.

Bitesize Parenting is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.

If your child has special educational needs or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parenting SEND collection. Bitesize has a collection of Sensory Stories, an immersive video series of unique sensory adventures for children with additional needs.

For more information about home education, this BBC News article covers the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home.